Improvement in barbed fence-wires



t F. ARMsTRoNG. i r

y BARBED'FENcE-WIRE. A

" No. 171,208. v l Patented Dec. 21,1875.

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ARMSTRONG, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARBED FENCE-WIRES.

Specification. forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,208, dated December 21, 1875; application filed October 11, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK ARMsTRoNe,of Bridgeport, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Barbed Cable- Fence; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specitication, in which- Figure l represents a section of a wire cable illustrating the subject of my invention. Fig. 2 shows a section of cable with 'a barb inserted, and ready to have its point bents over into permanent or working position upon the cable. Fig. 3 is an edge View of the barb as bent after being inserted into the cable; and Fig. 4 is a View ofthe cable, showing the eye or loop for the insertion of the barb.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination, with a wire cable, formed of two strands, of barbs made of flat lozenge-shaped pieces of metal, which are split from the center out to one of the points of the lozenge pieces, and are reduced in width on each side of the center of their length toward one of 4the points, so as to form a retaining or abutting shoulder on each side, said barbs being' bent over after being inserted in the cable, so as to present three sharp obstructing-points.

In the drawing, A represen ts my improved Wire cable fora fence, composed oftwo strands, A A', of wire, wound the one upon the other, in such a manner as to leave at proper intervals eyes or loops a, of a less length than the broadest part of the barbs, as shown in Fig. 4. B is the barb, and consists of a -ilat 1ozenge-shaped piece of metal, split, as at d, from the center to one of its ends, the. split end having the retaining or abutting shoulders b formed thereon, by cutting away a portion of each of the outer edges of the split end, as at e c, a portion of the cut being at right angles to the split, and a portion on a line parallel with the longitudinal center of the piece of metal forming the barb.

The split end of the piece of metal forming the barb is thus made of less width than the other, and is inserted into the eye or loop c in the cable A until the shoulders b abut against thecable, as shown in Fig. 2. This being done, the split ends of the barb are then bent in opposite directions, as represented in Fig. 3, and thus the barb is made to present three projecting point-s, f, f, andf, and is securely held in such position between the wires of the cable, it, on one side ofthe cable, being prevented from passing forward through the loop by the shoulders b, and on the other side from passing back by the reversely-bent prongs ol' the barb.

I do not claim a barbed wire cable for fences, irrespective of the construction of the cable and the barbs herein shown; but- Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The metal-fence barb B, reduced in width, as at e, to form shoulders b, and split as at d,

in combination with the two strands A A of the fence-Wire A, in the manner and for the purpose described.

FRANK ARMSTRONG. Witnesses:

GEO. A. STAPLES, IsAAc C. FOWLER. 

